Stabilized cartons



Dec. 21, 1965 WILLIS ETA 3,224,660

STABILIZED CARTONS Filed April 10, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS. JO D. WILLTS C31? TOPHER S.CROWELL ROBERT H. WARE ATTORNEY.

Dec. 21, 1965 J, D.WlLLlS ETAL STABILIZED GARTONS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 10, 1964 INVENTORS. D. WILLIS CHRISTOPHER S.CROWELL JOHN ROBERT H. WARE ATTORNEY.

Dec. 21, 1965 J, D. WILLIS ETAL STABILIZED CARTONS 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 10, 1964 INVENTORS. JOHN D. WILLIS CHRISTOPHER S. CROWELL ROBERT H. WARE ATTORNEY.

Dec. 21, 1965 J, w s ETAL 3,224,660

STABILIZED CARTONS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 10, 1964 E w W R w I m w Nm H B OR JH C ROBERT H. WARE ATTORNEY.

United States Patent Ofiice 3,224,660 Patented Dec. 21, 1965 3,224,660 STABILIZED CARTONS John I). Willis, Manhasset, N.Y., and Christopher S. Crowell, Chris Crowell & (10., 537 Post Road, Darien, Cnn.; said Willis assignor to said Crowell Filed Apr. 10, 1964, Ser. No. 358,724 2 Claims. (Cl. 229-8) This .invention relates to stabilized cartons and blanks for fabricating such cartons. More specifically, the invention concerns cartons having protruding indicia-bearing projections, both sides of which may form judiciabearing surfaces, and which may cooperate to stabilize the carton against upsetting.

Conventional cartons having protruding indicia-bearing panels, such as upstanding rear panels, generally carry printing, designs or indicia only on the front surface of these panels. Such conventional cartons make no provision for two-sided panels bearing indicia or decorations on both their front and rear surfaces, which would normally require printing on both sides of the carton blank. Accordingly, such cartons when erected may present an attractive appearance when viewed from the front, but their rear sides are undecorated and blank or carry only instructions for erection, presenting an unattractive appearance when viewed from the rear. Moreover, such conventional cartons provide no stabilizing features preventing them from being upset.

Thus currently-available display cartons having upstanding display panels thereon, and smaller cartons, such as cardboard coin-banks, mite boxes and the like, present an attractive appearance only when viewed from the front, and are easily overturned.

Accordingly, a principal object of the present invention is to provide cartons having double-sided protruding projections capable of carrying indicia or decorations on both sides and presenting an attractive appearance when viewed either from the front or from the rear.

Another object of the invention is to provide such cartons having stabilizing panels co-operating with or integral with these protruding projections to prevent the overturning of the carton, while also co-operating to produce enlarged indicia-bearing surfaces.

A further object of the invention is to provide cartons with such stabilizing panels which have aligned side edges facilitating the feeding of such cartons and the blanks from which they are formed through automatic machinery.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a flat carton blank severed from its surrounding sheet, scored and imprinted with decorative indicia, and erectable to form a carton incorporating one embodiment of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a front perspective view of a carton formed from the blank shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the blank shown in FIGURE 1, centrally folded over and glued in registration in its flat condition ready for erection to form the carton shown .in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a front perspective view showing another carton incorporating a modified embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 5 is a top plan view of a fiat carton blank erectable to form a carton incorporating a third embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 6 is an end elevation view of a partiallyerected carton formed from the blank of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a corner perspective view of the carton shown in FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary top plan view of a portion of a carton blank forming a modification of the blank of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 9 is an end elevation view of a partiallyerected carton formed from the blank of FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary corner perspective view of the carton shown in FIGURE 9; and

FIGURE 11 is a perspective view of the erected carton for-med from the blank of FIGURE 8.

The carton 10 shown in FIGURE 2 incorporates a rear upstanding projection 12 having a front face 14 and a rear face 16, the faces 14 and 16 forming respective upper and lower extremities of the blank 18 shown in FIG- URE 1.

Both the front and rear faces 14 and 16 of the upstanding projection 12 may have mirror-image peripheral configurations at these opposite ends of the carton blank 18, as shown in FIGURE 1. This permits the external surface of each of these front and rear panels to be imprinted with corresponding or complementary indicia or decorations on the exposed upper face of the blank in a single printing operation, and allows them to be severed integrally with the blank in a single severing operation.

Laterally-extending stabilizing members 20 and 22 form integral projecting ends of the front panel 24. These stabilizing members 20 and 22 extend sidewise when the blank 18 is erected to form the carton 10, as shown in FIGURE 2, preventing the overturning of the erected carton.

Similar laterally-extending stabilizing members 26 and 28 likewise form integral sidewise extensions of the rear side panel 30, and the rear face 16 of the upstanding projection 12 likewise forms an integral portion of the rear side panel 30, as shown in FIGURE 1.

In addition to their stabilizing action, the stabilizing members 20, 22, 26 and 28 form two-sided indicia-bearing projections co-operating with the two-sided projection 12 to carry decorative imprinting, further enhancing the appearance of the carton when viewed either from the front or from the rear. Since these stabilizing members are formed by a single thickness of the blank, a second printing operation is employed to imprint their reverse sides, i.e., their inner, facing sides typified by surfaces 26a and 28a in FIGURE 2.

The carton blank The carton blank 18, as shown in FIGURE 1, comprises a consecutive series of panels foldably joined together along scored fold lines to form a continuous, erectable blank. These panels include the front face 14 of the upstanding projection 12, joined along its lower edge by a scored fold line 32 to the corresponding rear edge of a top panel 34. If desired, top panel 34 may incorporate a coin slot 36 adapting the erected carton to serve as a coin bank. A left end panel 38 and a right end panel 40 are similarly joined to the opposite ends of top panel 34 along scored fold lines 42 and 44, and the end panels 38 and 40 are provided with extending, foldably-scored tuck tabs 46 and 48 positioned to lock the erected carton in its erect condition.

A front side panel 24 is integrally joined to the top panel 34 along their mutual edge by a scored fold line 50. Laterally-extending stabilizing members 20 and 22 form integral parts of the front side panel 24, and are not separated therefrom by scored fold lines. Thus members 20 and 22 form continuous, unfolded extensions of the front side panel 24, both in the blank 18 and the erected carton 10, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2.

A bottom panel 54 is joined along its foldably scored front edge 52 to front side panel 24. Bottom panel 54 is provided with foldable end flaps 56 and 58 and locking slots 60 and 62 co-operating with the tuck tabs 46 and 48 3 on the end panels 38 and 40 to lock the erected carton in its erect condition as shown in FIGURE 2.

The bottom panel 54 is joined along its rear edge by a scored fold line 64 to the base of the rear side panel 30. This rear side panel 30 is provided with unscored, laterallyextending stabilizing members 26 and 28 and the unscored, upwardly-extending rear face 16 of the upstanding projection 12. All of these projections 16, 26 and 28 extend integrally from rear side panel 30 to form a unitary peripheral projection extending edgewise therefrom. The stabilizing members 26 and 28 co-operate with stabilizing members and 22 to maintain the erected carton in its upright position and to stabilize it against overturning. These projections 26 and 28 may bear indicia or decorations on their inside or front faces 26a and 28a, and they may thus co-operate with the two-sided upstanding projection 12 to provide an attractive appearance for the erected carton when viewed either from the front or from the rear.

Erection of the carton blank The central scored fold line 52 of blank 18 is preferably equidistant from the extreme ends of the front face 14 and the rear face 16 of the upstanding projection 12. Accordingly, the blank may be reversely folded along central scored fold line 52, bringing the rear face 16 directly behind and in juxtaposition with the front face 14, as indicated in FIGURE 3. The facing undersides of these faces 14 and 16 may then be bonded together by the application of an adhesive therebetween. In this folded condition, the exposed indicia-bearing panels 14 and 16, shown imprinted on the same upper surface of blank 18 in FIGURE 1, are now bonded back-to-back, with their imprinted surfaces facing outwardly to produce a two-sided upstanding projection 12 having complementary indicia or decorations displayed on both front and rear surfaces.

When the faces 14 and 16 are congruently-shaped and symmetrically-positioned about central scored fold line 52, as in blank 18 shown in FIGURE 1, this reverse folding and bonding produces the congruent juxtaposition of faces 14 and 16 to form a two-sided projection 12 having two plies bonded together over its entire area, as indicated in FIGURES 2 and 3.

The blank 18 in this folded-over, flat condition, shown in FIGURE 3, is ready for storage or shipping to an erection station. The protruding side edges 20b and 26b of the stabilizing members 20 and 26 are aligned with the protruding edge 46b of the tuck tab 46, along a leading edge line 66, both in the original flat condition of the blank 18, shown in FIGURE 1, and in its doubled or folded-over flat condition shown in FIGURE 3. The alignment of these side edges along line 66 as shown along the left side of these figures facilitates the feeding of the blanks through automatic machinery and adapts the blanks for automatic folding into the condition shown in FIGURE 3 and for automatic erection into the erect condition shown in FIGURE 2.

In the embodiments illustrated, the leading edge line 66 is shown perpendicular to central scored fold line 52, facilitating sliding guidance of the double folded and glued blanks of FIGURE 3 along this overfolded edge 52, with triggering or gripping pickup of the blank along this perpendicular leading edge line 66.

Final erection of the blank 18 is accomplished by upsetting the blank forwardly along the score line 32 and rearwardly along score lines 50,52 and 64 to bring the top and bottom panels into vertically separated, spaced juxtaposition, both substantially at right angles to the front and rear side panels 24 and 30, to form a box-shaped central structure as indicated in FIGURE 2. The end panels 38 and 40 are then folded inwardly along the score lines 42 and 44. Tuck tabs 46 and 48 are likewise folded inwardly and installed through the locking slots 60 and 62 to complete the erection of the carton.

Modifications of the embodiment shown in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 may incorporate various external contours and configurations of the stabilizing members. Thus in the modified embodiment shown in FIGURE 4, a twin hulled or catamaran motorboat configuration is achieved by the upwardly protruding outboard motor members 220 and 28c projecting upwardly from the stabilizing members 22 and 28. The rear outstanding projection 28a may form a contiguous and integral portion of the upstanding central projection 12, as shown in FIGURE 4, further enhancing the structural integrity and appearance of the erected carton.

Dual-projection diorama cartons The modified embodiments shown in FIGURES 5-11 incorporate several additional features. The blanks of FIGURES 5 and 8 are designed and adapted for erection to form cartons incorporating two upstanding projections 12 and 71, each having laterally extending stabilizing members as shown in FIGURES 7, l0 and 11. These cartons may be decorated and imprinted to present the attractive diorama structures shown in FIGURE 11.

Blank 67 shown in FIGURE 5 is generally similar to the blank 18 of FIGURE 1, with the principal new feature being two added panels 72 and 74 interposed between top panel 34 and bottom panel 54. The inner face panel 72 is joined along the common scored fold line to the edge of top panel 34 and it is also joined along its opposite scored fold line 73 to an outer face panel 74 extending from the fold line 73 to the central scored fold line 52 along the edge of bottom panel 54. Comparison of FIG- URE 5 with FIGURE 1 shows that the two panels 72 and 74 thus replace the single panel 24 shown in FIGURE 1.

In the carton blank 67 shown in FIGURE 5, the outer face panel 74 incorporates two segments: a display segment 76 adjacent to the fold line 73, and a box segment 77 adjacent to the fold line 52. The box segment 77 of the outer face panel 74 corresponds to the single front side panel 24 shown in the blank 18 of FIGURE 1. Display segment 76 is a mating portion of outer face panel 74 generally corresponding to inner face panel 72, and these two elements 72 and 76 may carry complementary decorations or indicia, and may have congruent peripheral edges, as shown in FIGURE 5. The extreme edges of elements 68, 72, 74, 88 and 26 are aligned along leading edge line 66, just as in blank 18 of FIGURES l and 3.

The end elevation view of FIGURE 6 and the perspective view of FIGURE 7 showing the blank 67 glued and partially erected, indicate the cooperating juxtaposition of the inner face panel 72 and the mating portion 76 of the outer face panel 74 in the erected carton 98. When panels 72 and 74 are reversely folded along fold line 73 and glued together, they form a stiff, attractive, two-sided indicia-bearing projection 71 similar to projection 12 (FIG- URE 7). FIGURE 6 also shows that in carton 98 the front face 14 is juxtaposed with the rear face 16 of the rear side panel 30 to form the upstanding projection 12 in the same manner as in carton 10 shown in FIGURES 1 and 2. Panel segments 72 and 74 (including portions 76 and 77) thus form together a doubled front side panel with an integral upstanding projection 71, as shown in FIGURES 6, 7, 9 and 10.

In the carton blank 67 of FIGURE 5, the outer face panel 74 is provided with laterally-extending stabilizing members 78 and 80 corresponding to the members 20 and 22 shown in FIGURE 1. In the carton blank 67, left and right end panels 84 and 86 are joined by scored fold lines to the end of bottom panel 54 and provided with scored and foldable locking tabs 88 and 90, adapted for insertion into locking slots 92 and 94 formed in top panel 34. The end panel construction shown in FIGURE 1 is thus r'eversed, leaving extra space beside top panel 34 for new laterally-extending stabilizing members 68 and forming a portion of the front face panel 14, which is joined to the top panel 34 along the scored fold line 32.

Laterally extending stabilizing members 68 and 70 are aligned for respective juxtaposition with the corresponding stabilizing members 26 and 28 on rear side panel 30, and their facing reverse sides may be adhesively bonded thereto for additional stiffness and strength, as indicated in FIGURE 7.

A modified carton blank 67a is shown in FIGURE 8, where the front face panel 14 has been replaced by a glueing face tab 96 and the inner face panel 72 is now provided with a laterally-extending stabilizing member 82, occupying the space in the carton blank 67a adjacent to the end of top panel 34 Which is occupied by member 68 in the carton blank 67 of FIGURE 5.

As indicated in the end view of FIGURE 9, the glueing tab 96 is reversely folded along its scored fold line 32 and adhesively bonded to the reverse face of the rear side panel 30. This modified construction is shown in more detail in the perspective view of FIGURE 10, which also indicates that in the carton 100 erected from the blank 67a of FIGURE 8, the inner side of rear side panel 30 bears no decorative indicia or imprinted marking. However, this carton 100 with its stablizing member 82 provides a complete diorama effect when viewed from beyond the rear side panel 30, as shown in FIGURE 11, and the carton 100 is preferably imprinted and positioned to be viewed from this side, where the inner face panel 72 may form a decoratively static background for the decoratively active, dynamically-portrayed figures represented by the markings on rear side panel 30.

As shown by dashed arrows in FIGURE 9, the carton blanks after glueing and partial erecting may be folded flat by hinging about the scored fold lines 64 and 32 while r'eversely folding about the parallel scored fold lines 50 and 52 or they may be folded flat by hinging about the scored fold lines 50 and 52 while reversely folding along the parallel scored fold lines 32 and 64. The partially assembled and glued carton blanks can thus be flattened for shipping or storage prior to final erection and assembly of end panel tuck tabs in locking slots.

In the various embodiments of the invention, the laterally extending stabilizing members co-operate similarly with their associated upstanding projections to provide enlarged indicia-bearing surfaces, performing their stabilizing function while enhancing the decorative appearance of the erected cartons.

While the objects of the invention are efficiently achieved by the preferred forms of the invention described in the foregoing specification, the invention also includes changes and variations falling within and between the definitions of the following claims.

We claim:

1. An erectable carton formed from a single foldable carton blank comprising, in combination,

(A) a front side panel and a bottom panel integrally joined together along a central scor'ed fold line,

(B) a top panel similar in shape to the bottom panel and joined to the front side panel by connecting means including a second scored fold line,

(C) a front face panel joined to the top panel along a third scored fold line and extending upwardly therefrom,

(D) a rear side panel joined to the bottom panel along a fourth scored fold line,

(E) all of said fold lines being substantially parallel,

(F) a rear face panel forming an integral and nonfolded coplanar extension of the rear side panel extending upward therefrom and positioned for juxtaposition with the front face panel when the blank is folded along the central scored fold line,

(G) cooperating locking end panel tab and slot means connected to the top panel and the bottom panel to retain the erectable carton in an erected condition,

(H) with said rear face panel being substantially similar in size and shape to the front face panel, with the front and rear face panels being bonded together in their juxtaposed position to form an upwardly protruding two-ply projection capable of carrying on substantially the entire areas of both exposed faces thereof indicia and decorative matter imprinted on only one side of the blank,

(I) and with integral, endwise-extending stabilizing members protruding from each end of each of the side panels, with the stabilizing members and rear face panel extending from the rear side panel providing therewith a continuous indicia-bearing rear surface for the carton.

2. A flat erectable carton blank comprising, in combination,

(A) a front side panel and a bottom panel integrally joined together along a central scored fold line,

(B) a top panel similar in shape to the bottom panel and joined to the front side panel by connecting means including a second scored fold line,

(C) a front face panel joined to the top panel along a third scored fold line,

(D) a rear side panel joined to the bottom panel along a fourth scored fold line,

(B) all of said fold lines being substantially parallel,

(F) locking-slot means formed in the bottom panel cooperating with juxtaposable locking-tab means foldably extending endwise from the top panel, with one extreme end edge of the front side panel and the rear side panel and the adjacent locking tab means being aligned with each other to form a common leading edge, whereby the blank is adapted for handling by automatic machinery,

(G) a rear face panel extending integrally and nonfoldably edgewise from the rear side panel and positioned for juxtaposition with the front face panel when the blank is folded along the central scored fold line,

(H) said carton blank being provided with means forming, upon erection of the blank into a carton, an upwardly protruding two-ply projection capable of carrying on substantially the entire areas of both exposed faces thereof, indicia and decorative matter imprinted on only one side of said blank, and having endwise-extending stabilizing members at each end thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,269,169 6/ 1918 Farley.

1,334,056 3/1920 Stranders 40-126 1,822,936 9/ 1931 Reichel 40-126 1,901,661 3/ll-933 M-acCourt et al 40126 2,305,332 12/ 1942 Ullman 20645.14 2,838,166 6/1958 Herdklotz 20645.19 2,854,135 9/1958 Pantalone 20645.14 2,927,687 3/1960 Sanford 20645.19 2,990,056 6/1961 Gillam 20645.19 3,155,232 11/1964 Leone 206-45.19

GEORGE O. RALSTON, Primary Examiner.

FRANKLIN T. GARRETT, JOSEPH R. LECLAIR,

Examiners. 

1. AN ERECTABLE CARTON FORMED FROM A SINGLE FOLDABLE CARTON BLANK COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, (A) A FRONT SIDE PANEL AND A BOTTOM PANEL INTEGRALLY JOINED TOGETHER ALONG A CENTRAL SCORED FOLD LINE, (B) A TOP PANEL SIMILAR IN SHAPE TO THE BOTTOM PANEL AND JOINED TO THE FRONT SIDE PANEL BY CONNECTING MEANS INCLUDING A SECOND SCORED FOLD LINE, (C) A FRONT FACE PANEL JOINED TO THE TOP PANEL ALONG A THIRD SCORED FOLD LINE AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY THEREFROM, (D) A REAR SIDE PANEL JOINED TO THE BOTTOM PANEL ALONG A FOURTH SCORED FOLD LINE, (E) ALL OF SAID FOLD LINES BEING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL, (F) A REAR FACE PANEL FORMING AN INTEGRAL AND NONFOLDED COPLANAR EXTENSION OF THE REAR SIDE PANEL EXTENDING UPWARD THEREFROM AND POSITIONED FOR JUXTAPOSITION WITH THE FRONT FACE PANEL WHEN THE BLANK IS FOLDED ALONG THE CENTRAL SCORED FOLD LINE, (G) COOPERATING LOCKING END PANEL TAB AND SLOT MEANS CONNECTED TO THE TOP PANEL AND THE BOTTOM PANEL TO RETAIN THE ERECTABLE CARTON IN AN ERECTED CONDITION, (H) WITH SAID REAR FACE PANEL BEING SUBSTANTIALLY SIMILAR IN SIZE AND SHAPE TO THE FRONT FACE PANEL, WITH THE FRONT AND REAR FACE PANELS BEING BONDED TOGETHER IN THE JUXTAPOSED POSITION TO FORM AN UPWARDLY PROTRUDING TWO-PLY PROJECTION CAPABLE OF CARYRING ON SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE AREAS OF BOTH EXPOSED FACES THEREOF INDICIA AND DECORATIVE MATTER IMPRINTED ON ONLY ONE SIDE OF THE BLANK, (I) AND WITH INTEGRAL, ENDWISE-EXTENDING STABILIZING MEMBERS PROTRUDING FROM EACH END OF EACH OF THE SIDE PANELS, WITH THE STABILIZING MEMBERS AND REAR FACE PANEL EXTENDING FROM THE REAR SIDE PANEL PROVIDING THEREWITH A CONTINUOUS INDICIA-BEARING REAR SURFACE FOR THE CARTON. 